The present invention relates to electronic lock control systems for controlling fastening and unfastening of a lock attached to a door, and home medical management systems comprising the electronic lock control system.
With the advent of the aging society, so-called home medical management systems are proposed and placed into actual use. In the case of such a system, users who are chiefly bedridden sick persons and elderly people wear various sensors for.measuring physiological quantitys such as body temperature and blood pressure. The physiological quantity data obtained by the sensors is sent from time to time or periodically from an information terminal unit (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9chome unitxe2x80x9d) installed at the user""s home to a center unit installed at a hospital or like medical institution (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9ccenterxe2x80x9d) via a telephone line. The center unit receives the quantity data sent from the home unit and conducts the management of the data. Further by checking the data, the doctor can provide instructions on medical care, medication or other necessary procedure.
Such home medical management systems generally support the function of reporting an emergency occurring in the user. This emergency report is automatically made by pushing a button on a pendant wireless transmitter carried by the user, or upon the home unit detecting an output, in excess of a hazardous level, of the physiological quantity sensor worn by the user. In response to the emergency report, the center makes arrangements to send an ambulance or the like to the user""s home whose address has already been registered.
However, even if the ambulance arrives at the user""s home following the emergency report, the attendants of the ambulance are unable to enter the interior of the user""s home if the front door is locked up. Even if they are able to enter the house, it would become too late because the rescue takes much time.
An object of the present invention, which has been accomplished in view of the above problem, is to provide an electronic lock control system which is adapted to rescue the user promptly in response to an emergency report, and a home medical management system.
The present invention provides an electronic lock control system for controlling fastening and unfastening of an electronic lock attached to a door. The system is characterized in that the system comprises means for transmitting an unfastening command to the electronic lock in operative relation with communication with a predetermined destination. When a hospital or the family is notified of an emergency by the system thus constructed, the electronic lock attached, for example, to the front door of the user""s home is unfastened in operative relation with the notification.
The electronic lock control system of the invention is characterized in that the system comprises means to be worn on the body of the user for measuring a physiological quantity, and means for conducting communication with a predetermined destination and transmitting an unfastening command to the electronic lock, in accordance with the result of measurement by the physiological quantity measuring means. When the result obtained by the measuring means reveals a hazardous value, the hospital, family or like destination is automatically notified of the emergency, and the electronic lock on the front door or like door of the user""s home is unfastened.
The electronic.lock control system of the invention further comprises means for notifying the user that the unfastening command has been transmitted from the transmitting means to the electronic lock. The system thus constructed enables the user to recognize that the electronic lock of his home is unfastened.
The electronic lock control system of the invention further comprises means for canceling the notification by the notifying means, and the transmitting means transmits the unfastening command to the electronic lock in operative relation with the cancellation of the notification by the canceling means. The system thus constructed enables the user to cancel the notification by the notifying means even if the electronic lock on the door is unfastened in operative relation with the emergency notification, whereby the electronic lock can be automatically fastened.
As described above, the electronic lock control system according to the present invention is adapted to unfasten the electronic lock on the front door in operative relation with an emergency communication, so that the person receiving the emergency communication can enter the room where the user is present through the unlocked front door, consequently making it possible to rescue and transport the user promptly.
The present invention provides a home medical management system comprising a portable unit 1 to be worn on the body of the user for measuring a physiological quantity, and a home unit 4 installed at a home of the user and adapted to wirelessly communicate with the portable unit 1 for judging the physical condition of the user according to the physiological quantity measured by the portable unit 1 and notifying a predetermined destination of occurrence of an emergency in the event of the emergency occurring, the system being characterized in that the home unit 2 is provided with means for transmitting an unfastening command to an electronic lock fastening a door of the user""s home in the event of an emergency occurring.
When a hospital, family or other destination is notified of the occurrence of an emergency by the home medical management system of the present invention, the electronic lock attached, for example, to the front door of the user""s home is automatically unfastened, so that the person receiving the notification can open the door of the home of the user developing the emergency to enter the room and rescue and transport the user promptly.
The present invention further provides a home medical management system comprising a portable unit 1 to be worn on the body of the user for measuring a physiological quantity, and a home unit 4 installed at a home of the user and adapted to wirelessly communicate with the portable unit 1 for judging the physical condition of the user according to the physiological quantity measured by the portable unit 1 and notifying a predetermined destination of occurrence of an emergency in the event of the emergency occurring, the system being characterized in that the home unit 2 is provided with means for transmitting to the destination a password for unfastening an electronic lock fastening a door of the user""s home in the event of an emergency occurring. The destination to be notified of the occurrence of emergency can be an emergency center 32 for dispatching ambulance attendants.
With the home medical management system of the present invention, the password for opening the electronic lock of the user""s home is sent to the emergency center 32 for the ambulance attendant to unfasten the lock using the password. Accordingly, the front door is held locked until the ambulance attendants arrive at the user""s home. This assures the user""s home of security.
The present invention further provides a home medical management system comprising a portable unit 1 to be worn on the body of the user for measuring a physiological quantity, a home unit 4 installed at a home of each of users and adapted to wirelessly communicate with the portable unit 1 for judging the physical condition of the user according to the physiological quantity measured by the portable unit 1 and notifying an emergency center 32 for dispatching ambulance attendants of occurrence of an emergency in the event of the emergency occurring, and a center unit 31 connected to the home units 2 of the users for communication therewith and having registered therein a password for unfastening an electronic lock fastening a door of the home of each user. The home unit 2 has means for notifying the center unit 31 of occurrence of an emergency. The center unit 31 comprises means having stored therein the password for unlocking the door of each user""s home, means for extracting the password for unlocking the door of the home of the user developing an emergency in response to the notification of occurrence of the emergency from his home unit 2, and means for outputting the extracted password.
Incidentally, the outputting means of the center unit 31 is installed at a location where the attendant of the emergency center 32 can receive the output thereof.
With the home medical management system of the present invention, the center unit has stored therein in advance the password for unfastening the electronic lock of each user""s home, such that the ambulance attendant unfastens the electronic lock of the user""s home with the password as extracted in accordance with an emergency notification. Accordingly, the electronic lock is held fastened until the ambulance attendants arrive at the user""s home. This assures the user""s home of security.